African American/Black Indians In American West History

In April 2002, celebrations of the 500 years of black Indian culture are planned for sites of major historical and cultural significance - the pilgrimage of unification itself; an honoring of 'Mother Life'--------------------------------------------------------------------------------By Nomad Winterhawk --------------------------------------------------------------------------------It happened that life crossed Africans and Native Americans together into one circle. This was in April, 1502, when the first Africans kidnapped were brought to Hispanola to serve as slaves. Some escaped and somewhere inland on Santo Dominico life birthed the first circle of Black Indians.

Some black Indians have a dual ancestry of African and Native American bloodlines. Others are black people who have lived with Native Americans and maintain their cultural-ceremonial traditions.

The seizure and mistreatment of Native Americans and their land, and the enslavement of Native Americans and Africans, were the two parallel institutions that resulted in the Black Indian culture.{snip}

There are Black Caribs in St. Vincent, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala.

They are called Garifuna, too.

The most popular story says that they are descendants of shipwrecked West African slaves and the Yellow Caribs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. However another story was that the Africans went to the country before that as pre-Columbian explorers.

They had a hybrid culture.

Lead by Chief Chatoyer, they put up a pretty good fight against the colonists and Yellow Caribs. But when they eventually lost, the British deported many of them to Central America.

They weren't enslaved, but they faced a lot of discrimination and were ostracized in their new countries.

While his main opponent in the race, the National Party of Honduras' (PNH's) Porfirio Pepe Lobo, was a strict hardliner, Zelaya, a member of the Liberal Party of Honduras (Partido Liberal de Honduras, PLH), campaigned with a more moderate approach to issues.

Now, the nation's Black population is planning to hold Zelaya to his promises.

The president-elect took office on January 27, 2006. And, in preparation for his transition to power, Zelaya sat down in Tegucigalpa, the nation's capital, with Celeo Alvarez Casildo, president of the OrganizaciÃ³n Negra Centroamericana/Central American Black Organization (ONECA – the largest umbrella organization for Black communities in Central America and the Caribbean) and other representatives of Honduras' Black communities to talk about the campaign promises made to Afro Hondurans and how the new president plans on fulfilling them.

Back on May 26, 2005, when he was initiating his political campaign, Zelaya signed an accord with Afro Hondurans. He promised that, if he won the presidency with their support, he would make every effort to see that their concerns are addressed.

During his 2006 through 2010 term of office, Zelaya has agreed to finalize terms for the government's granting of land titles to Honduras' GarÃ­funa. If Zelayo lives up to his promise, he could help end a battle Afro Honduran communities have been waging for decades.

The majority of Afro Hondurans are known as GarÃ­funa, descendants of Africans and Carib-Indians who resisted slavery and were able to retain their own language – a patois of Creole, Bambu, and Patua – and to live independently for years.

Because of many have immigrated, GarÃ­funa communities have spread out across Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States in the last few decades. Yet, historically, the GarÃ­funa were established in the countries of Belize, Guatemala, Panama, and Honduras and along the coastlines of Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

GarÃ­funa have long faced discrimination...

Latin America's GarÃ­funa have long faced discrimination and have had to struggle to be politically incorporated within their nations of origin, so Zelaya's campaign promises did not come out of a vacuum. GarÃ­funa have lived in specific areas of Honduras for the past 200 years and they have petitioned for title to those lands for years now. Various Honduran governments have granted a few small landholding titles, and yet remained reluctant to negotiate the rest. But the community gained respect after more than 5,000 people marched on Tegucigalpa in the late '90s and demanded land titles rather than watch their lands sold after being devastated by 1998s Hurricane Mitch.

Government officials had proposed a reform of the Constitution's Article 107, a law that prohibits Honduran land from being sold to non-citizens. But the GarÃ­funa march stopped the reform: protestors noted that any reform of the law would have allowed for the sale of traditional GarÃ­funa lands along Honduras' Atlantic Coast.

"They have not been able to reform that law," says Mirtha ColÃ³n, a United States-based ONECA member. "But they've made efforts to change it by changing other laws that affect Article 107."

Changing Honduran land ownership laws gives multinational companies the opportunity to buy land and develop tourist hotels, resorts, and casinos in GarÃ­funa territories: areas that are extremely underdeveloped yet have the advantage of being situated along the nation's picturesque coastline. It has already drastically affected communities in places like Cayos Cochinos, which – the GarÃ­funa were told – was by law set aside as a nature preserve; today the area boasts a tourist attraction named the Plantation Beach Resort.

Even with the granting of community land titles, ColÃ³n says GarÃ­funa are often harassed into leaving their traditional homes: a family's livestock will be killed or their house burned down. "This is why we are afraid, because many people then have to move to the city," she said.

"Or they may have to try to enter the United States illegally. But people have to do something to survive."

Mel Zelaya has pledged that his administration will sponsor a study looking into how much funds sent to Honduras from abroad have been needed to help sustain GarÃ­funa communities. And his new government will tackle racism in Honduras, by sponsoring public service announcements against racial discrimination and by working with Afro Hondurans to sponsor events celebrating the April 12th commemoration of the 18th century GarÃ­funa escape from slavery and arrival of in Punta Gorda, Honduras.

The agreement with the new president also promises increased job creation, and that new health care centers, schools, and roads will be built in GarÃ­funa regions. GarÃ­funas can also expect to see electric, telephone, in-door plumbing and other basic services brought to their territorial areas.

Most don't know they acquired an African ancestry in their tribal ancestry when they were expatriated to The Caribbean in the late 1600s by the New World Colonists to enable the theft of their land.

Certainly, the local residents of this area don't know of that ancestry as they embrace the latest expansion of the gaming interests of The Mohegans as they build a 5000-unit slot casino at their newly acquired (horse) race track.

There are Black Caribs in St. Vincent, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala.

They are called Garifuna, too.

The most popular story says that they are descendants of shipwrecked West African slaves and the Yellow Caribs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. However another story was that the Africans went to the country before that as pre-Columbian explorers.

They had a hybrid culture.

Lead by Chief Chatoyer, they put up a pretty good fight against the colonists and Yellow Caribs. But when they eventually lost, the British deported many of them to Central America.

They weren't enslaved, but they faced a lot of discrimination and were ostracized in their new countries.

While his main opponent in the race, the National Party of Honduras' (PNH's) Porfirio Pepe Lobo, was a strict hardliner, Zelaya, a member of the Liberal Party of Honduras (Partido Liberal de Honduras, PLH), campaigned with a more moderate approach to issues.{snip}

PEACE

Jim Chester

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Wow. Thanks for reposting this information.

I'll make a copy of this post to read more thoroughly later. Thanks again.

Originally posted by James Wesley Chester:You may know of the Pequoits and Mohegans of Connecticutt.

Most don't know they acquired an African ancestry in their tribal ancestry when they were expatriated to The Caribbean in the late 1600s by the New World Colonists to enable the theft of their land.

Certainly, the local residents of this area don't know of that ancestry as they embrace the latest expansion of the gaming interests of The Mohegans as they build a 5000-unit slot casino at their newly acquired (horse) race track.